for a rare form of leukemia, and the basketball great said his prognosis is encouraging. The NBA's all-time leading scorer was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia, he told The Associated Press on Monday. The 62-year-old Abdul- Jabbar said his doctor didn't give any guarantees, but informed him: "You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle." Abdul-Jabbar is taking an oral medication for the disease. He is a paid spokesman for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, which makes a drug that treats the illness. Citing the way Los Angeles Lakers teammate Magic Johnson brought awareness to HIV, Abdul-Jabbar said he wants to do the same for his form of blood cancer, which can be fatal if left untreated. "I've never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives," he said at a midtown Manhattan conference room. "It's incumbent on someone like

feeling odd sensations. He went for tests at UCLA, where he dominated college basketball in the late 1960s, winning three straight NCAA championships from 1967- 69. "I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis," he said. "That's not normal, even for my age." An exam showed his white blood cell count was "sky high" and a doctor quickly diagnosed his condition. At first, all Abdul-Jabbar heard was the word "leukemia." "I was scared," he said. "I thought it was all the same. I thought it could mean I have a month to live." "That was my first question," he said. "Was I going to make it?" A longtime student in martial arts, Abdul-Jabbar said he took the approach of a samurai, to face death without fear. "I had my face on," he said. Instead, doctors told him CML was treatable with proper medication and monitoring. Abdul-Jabbar is a special assistant with the Lakers and said he hasn't had to cut back his level of activity of coaching, change his regimen or adjust his diet. "I'm able to sneak out for Thai food," he said.

productive, full life," he said. "I'm living proof I can make it." Abdul-Jabbar recently returned from an academic conference in Abu Dhabi and has several speaking engagements planned. Among the people he regularly talks to about his condition is his son, a third- year medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. The six-time NBA MVP intends to post updates to his Facebook and Twitter accounts and stay connected through http://www.CMLearth.com, a Web site for those afflicted by the disease. About 5,000 cases of CML are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society said. More than 22,000 people are living in the US with the disease. The disease tends to initially be diagnosed by people in their mid-to-late 60s, and usually affects men more than women. "I want to spread the word," Abdul-Jabbar said. DENVER – Rarely has playing it safe paid off so well for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tyrone Carter

big play that sparked the Steelers to their fifth straight win, taking the first of his two interceptions 48 yards for a touchdown in Pittsburgh's 28-10 win over the Denver Broncos. Clark nearly died following a game in Denver two years ago because of a rare blood disorder that is aggravated by playing in high altitude, so Steelers coach Mike Tomlin decided to hold him out of the game. He said he didn't want to risk Clark's health or burden his teammates and family members with worry. Carter capped his night with his second interception with 15 seconds left, and Clark, dressed in charcoal sweats and a smile on the sideline, jumped up and down in celebration. Hines Ward caught two short touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger, including one in which he hauled in a pass in the flat and hurdled cornerback Champ Bailey on his way into the end zone, a final indignity for Denver that capped the scoring with 1:22 remaining and emptied the stadium. Rashard Mendenhall rumbled

Denver its second straight loss after the Broncos opened the season 6-0 under rookie coach Josh McDaniels. Carter's first interception return gave Pittsburgh a 7-3 halftime lead even though the Steelers had generated just three first downs and were outgained 183-54 in the first half. An ecstatic Clark was among the first players to swarm Carter, the first defender to pick off a Kyle Orton pass all season. His only interception before throwing three Monday night was a Hail Mary that Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss pulled down in a game last month. As he left the field, Clark clicked his heels and jokingly hollered, "I'm going home, and I'm not playing the rest of the year." With the Steelers clinging to a 14-10 lead in the fourth quarter, safety Troy Polamalu snared another Orton pass, this one at the Broncos 25-yard line, leading to Roethlisberger's 25-yard TD toss to rookie Mike Wallace. Denver scored on its opening drive for the first time this season. But the Broncos

broke up a pass at the 10 to Eddie Royal, who had three receptions for 47 yards on the 56-yard drive. The Broncos stopped themselves over and over again on offense, with Orton making poor passes and bad decisions and his receivers making uncharacteristic mistakes. Carter, who was Polamalu's fill-in for a month when Polamalu had an injured knee earlier this season, had an easy pickoff when rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, Orton's target, ran into an official as Orton was releasing the short pass over the middle, and Carter raced into the end zone untouched for a 7-3 lead. The Broncos' defense retaliated on the opening drive of the second half when Kenny Peterson swooped in and punctuated his first sack of the season by punching the ball out of Roethlisberger's hands. Rookie linebacker Robert Ayers scooped it up and rumbled 54 yards for a touchdown that gave Denver a 10-7 lead. It didn't last long. Roethlisberger, who was 21

yard strike over the outstretched right arm of linebacker D.J. Williams to put Pittsburgh ahead for good, 14-10. Roethlisberger drove the Steelers to the Denver 15 on the Steelers' next possession, but he threw behind Ward in the end zone and cornerback Andre' Goodman picked it off — Big Ben's first red-zone interception since 2007. The Steelers dominated the second half by going no- huddle with three-wide receiver sets, which kept Elvis Dumervil, who has 10 1/2 sacks, on the sideline much of the time. Clark was one of three Steelers defensive starters sitting out, joining defensive end Travis Kirschke (calf) and linebacker Lawrence Timmons (ankle). It hardly mattered as Denver managed just 59 yards on six second-half drives. By the closing minutes, Invesco Field was a sea of yellow Terrible Towels and thousands of empty blue seats, orange giveaway pom- pons littering the aisles. STOCKHOLM – Wearing an old-style swimsuit, Michael Phelps missed out on two finals and barely qualified